Update: getting up too early and when it’s dark to finish the drive home came with a loss: I now have only a left-foot boot, the right-foot boot presumably now buried under a foot of snow near the top of Monitor Pass. My guess is that it fell out the van sliding door when I opened it once before leaving in the morning. Oh well, at least I got a good year’s use out of them and the lugs at bottom were half-way worn down and so were biting less deep. I bought two spare pairs at half price a bit back of the Five Ten Camp Four Mid GTX.

...

I shot more and made better images than I think I’ve made in years this October/November in the Eastern Sierra and White Mountains. I caught more and larger trout than ever before. I thoroughly enjoyed the isolation and beauty of the place. It was a lot of work, a good combination.

I am pleased with the images I made. Perhaps because of extended visiting time and because the areas I frequent remained accessible and mostly snow-free unusually late, I just had more chances, but I think I was more 'in the zone' than has been typical.

Tonight, most of the passes are closed due to an anticipated storm a day off. Looking up at 11 PM at Monitor Pass at ~8600' (a side pass, not crossing pass), the sky remains starry clear and I could have been across the Sierra 4 hours ago. Instead, I’ve been forced north to get home, for an extra 2-3 hour drive back. The wonderful public servants (very funny terminology) in charge don’t consider the cost or inconvenience to travelers and are perfectly comfortable to lie and dissimulate on the truth, in my personal observations over many years.